Plastic hinge cap



Feb. 22, 1944. R P MAGNENAT 2,342,477

PLASTIC HINGE CAP Filed Aug. 8. 1941 m /IFPI/ ll` Z624, 44H2/ INVENTORRene RMaglzenat.

BEM

ATTORNEY Patented Feb. 22, 1.944

UNITED STATES PATENT ()F FICE 4' Claims.

This invention relates to closure caps and more particularly to aplastic hinge cap for a can of cosmetics or toilet powder.

Y lOne object of this invention is to provide a plastic hinge cap of theabove nature having means for positively holding the cap in openposition and preventing accidental closing thereof.

Another object is to provide a plastic hinge cap of the above nature inwhich the hinge pin thereof is formed integral with a pair of side earsextending from the body of the cap, and which is adapted to be receivedwith a snap action within a slot located between a pair of resilientlugs upstandingfrom the top of the can.

A further object is to provide a plastic hinge cap of the vabove naturein which the pivot pin is made substantially elliptical in shape, andthe slot within which it is received is similarly shaped so that whenthe cap v.is swung to vertical open position, the resilient sides of theslot will be spread apart and will exert force upon the pin to hold thecap frictionally in such position.

A further object is to provide a plastic hinge cap of the above naturein which a substantial clearance is provided between the elliptical pinand its slot so as to avoid straining of the material in the walls ofthe slot when the cap is at rest in closed position-thus avoidingpermanently setting or straining the plastic material by cold flow ofthe molded composition from which the parts are made.

A further object is to provide a device of the above nature which willbe simple in construction, easy to install and manipulate, compact,ornamental in appearance, and very eiiicient and durable in use.

With these and other objects in view, there has been illustrated on theaccompanying drawing, one form in which the invention may beconveniently embodied in practice.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 represents a side View in elevation of a powder can upon whichthe plastic hinge cap of this invention has been assembled.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the same.

Figure 3 is a sectional view on an enlarged scale, taken on the line 3-3of Figure 2, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a fragmentary view, on a still further enlarged scale,showing the elliptical shape of the hinge pin and open slot in the canto which the cover cap is connected.

Referring now to the drawing in which like reference numerals denotecorresponding parts throughout the several viewsfthe letter C indicatesa powder can having ya conical vupper portion of molded 4plastic-terminating in a reduced flat top T. The plastic hinge cap `isindicated by the numeral III and is circular in shape and cupped, alsohaving a'flat top. Y n

The rear of the cap I0 is provided with apair of inclined spaced earsVII n and I2, Whichaare connected by a horizontal kpin I3formedlintegral therewith, said pin being of substantially ellipticalshape. The pin I3 is provided with a pair of semi-cylindrical endsections |54 and I5, and

a central section provided with .opposite kflat sides I6 and II (seeFigure 4). The elliptical pin I3 is adapted to be received within anelongated slot I8 of a similar elliptical shape as said pin, provisionbeing made of an elliptical vclearance space I9 substantiallyfive-thousandths .of

an Yinch in width (.005") surrounding vsaid pin I3. The slot I8 is openat the ltop whereit is,

provided with a pair of converging resilient lugs 20 and 2l havingupwardly diverging wedge faces 22 and 23 on the upper ends thereof. Bymeans of this construction, it will be seen that when the pin I3 ispushed downwardly in the slot IB, the resilient lugs 20 and 2| will bespread apart, and the pinvwill pass into the slot with a snap action.

The purpose of making the pin and slot of elongated elliptical shape isthat when the cover is in open position, as shown by the dotted lines ofFigures 3 and 4, the pin will be frictionally engaged against the sidelugs of the slot I8 which are thereby held in the spread-apart positionshown by the dotted lines of Figure 4. The cap will thus be heldpositively in open position because a substantial force will be requiredto move the cap from open to closed position.

In order to facilitate the lifting and closing of the cap I0, provisionis made of a finger knob 24 formed at the forward end of the cap, andsaid knob is provided with an interior locking nib 25 which is adaptedto seat with a snapaction within a rectangular recess 26 formed in thetop reduced section T of the can C'.

, The cap may also be provided, within the scope of this invention, witha pair of depending tapered plugs 2l and 28 which are adapted to twithin dispensing holes 29 formed on the horizontal top of the containerC. The holes 29 preferably will be formed on opposite sides of avertical central baffle, not shown, formed in said can.

One advantage of lthis invention is that the clearance provided betweenthe pin and the slot prevents straining of the lugs surrounding the slotwhen the cap is at rest in closed position. This will avoid anypermanent set or stretching of the sides of the slot due to cold flow ofthe plastic molded material from which the parts are made.

According to the present invention, the hinge pin I3 will normally beloosely held in its slot and will exert spreading force upon the sidesthereof only when the cap is raised.

While there has been disclosed in this specication one form in which theinvention may be embodied, it is to be understood that this form isshown for the purpose of illustration only, and that the invention isnot to be limited to the specic disclosure, but may be modified andembodied in various other forms without departing from its spirit. Inshort, the invention includes all the modifications and embodimentscoming within the scope of the following claims.

Having thus fully described the invention, what is claimed as new andfor which it is desired to secure Letters Patent, is:

1. A container having a pair of resilient upstanding radially spacedlugs of molded plastic material defining an oval slot therebetween, acap having a pair of spaced lugs connected together by an integralhorizontal hinge pin for tting within said slot and being detachablyretained thereby, said pin having an oval cross section slightly smallerthan the slot defined by said radially spaced lugs and having its majoraxis coinciding with the major axis of said slot when said cap isclosed, whereby it will be loose in said slot when the cap is closed andhence will not produce strains which might cause setting due to coldflow of the material of said radially spaced lugs, the ends of said ovalpin frictionally engaging said radially spaced lugs when the cap is inopen position to prevent accidental closing thereof.

2. A container having a pair of integral resilient upstanding inwardlyconcave lugs of molded plastic dening an oval slot therebetween, themajor axis of said slot being vertical, a cap having a horizontal hingepin mounted thereon for location in said slot, the cross section of saidpin having an oval shape similar to that of said slot but being ofslightly smaller dimensions to provide a small clearance spacetherebetween, said pin being so positioned that the major axis of itscross section is in a vertical plane and coincides with the major axis0f said slot when the cap is closed, whereby it will be loose in saidslot when the cap is closed and hence will not produce strains whichmight cause setting due to cold flow of the material of said lugs, butwill frictionally engage said lugs when the cap is in open position toprevent accidental closing thereof.

3. A container as defined in claim 2 in which the major length of thecross section of said pin is greater than the width of said slot.

4. A container having a top section of molded plastic and a detachablecap section of similar material, one of said sections having a pair ofspaced inwardly concave lugs integral therewith, and dening an oval slottherebetween, the major axis of said slot being vertical, the other ofsaid sections having a horizontal hinge pin integral therewith anddetachably seated in said slot, said pin having an oval cross sectionsimilar to that of said slot but having slightly smaller dimensions toprovide a clearance space therebetween, whereby said pin will be looselyretained in said slot when the cap is closed and will not strain saidlugs, said oval pin being of such size as to frictionally engage saidlugs when the cap is in open position to prevent it from beingaccidentally closed.

RENE' P. MAGNENAT.

